Scope and Content

Brief handwritten passages, which appear to stand on their own rather than being extracts from longer works and are most unlikely unpublished. One is entitled 'The Ong of Highworth Ridden' and a note by the other describes it as 'Lines for Mosquito Day, and in the Memory of Sir Reginald Ross, a patient observer of little things'. They are accompanied by letters from Geoffrey Handley-Taylor concerning depositing Masefield material at the University of London Library (now Senate House Library).

Administrative / Biographical History

Masefield was born in Ledbury in 1878. Having entered the Merchant Navy Masefield deserted ship in America where he drifted for some time. Returning to England he became a journalist and his interest in writing was explored, publishing several volumes of poetry before the outbreak of World War One. During the war Masefield was a member of the Red Cross and witnessed the disaster at Gallipoli, which he later wrote about in his position as head of the War Propaganda Bureau. During the twenties and thirties Masefield wrote numerous volumes of poetry which were most successful, as well as two novels and an autobiography. Masefield continued to write until his death in 1967.